Sept. 6, 2009

No. 1 Tar Heels Deal Purple Aces 4-0 Loss
Junior midfielder Cameron Brown's 85th-minute bicycle kick sealed a 4-0 win for No. 1 North Carolina over Evansville and delivered the 2009 Carolina Nike Classic title to the Tar Heels Sunday in the tournament finale at Fetzer Field. Brown, who also scored in the ninth minute, notched his first career multi-goal game, and Enzo Martinez and Michael Farfan also found the back of the net for Carolina (2-0-1).

The Tar Heels' defense stifled the Purple Aces (1-2-0), allowing just four shots, only one of which was on goal. Senior goalkeeper Brooks Haggerty went the distance in net to earn his second shutout in three chances for the Tar Heels, who gave head coach Elmar Bolowich the 250th win of his career with the victory.

Brown's goal was the tourney clincher for the Tar Heels, who edged Northern Illinois on goal differential by a 4-3 margin. Carolina and NIU both finished with a 1-0-1 record on the weekend and tied their head-to-head meeting, 1-1 on Friday. However, the Tar Heels earned the title with a 5-1 goal differential margin, compared to a 5-2 margin for the Huskies, who posted a 4-1 victory over UNC Greensboro in Sunday's first game.

Terps Drop Cal in Overtime
Jason Herrick scored two goals, including the game-winner in overtime, to lift the No. 1/8 Maryland men's soccer team over No. 8/7 California, 2-1, on a rainy Sunday night at Ludwig Field.

Herrick's goal with 4:41 elapsed in the game provided Maryland (1-1) with the early lead and its first goal of the 2009 campaign. Sophomore Kaoru Forbess led Herrick up the middle with a through-ball and the junior co-captain took care of the rest, blowing past the Bear backline and finding the back of the net.

The Terps continued to apply pressure and ten minutes later a large scramble ensued in front of the box after a Matt Kassel corner kick provided freshman Ethan White with a scoring chance at the goal line. Cal goalkeeper David Bingham kept it inches away from another Terrapin goal as White's momentum carried him into the back of the net.

Randolph's First Collegiate Goal Lifts No. 3 Wake to 2-1 Win Against No. 7 Indiana
Freshman Sean Randolph made his first collegiate goal a memorable one, scoring on a diving header attempt in the 72nd minute to give No. 3 Wake Forest a 2-1 win at No. 7 Indiana on Sunday afternoon at Armstrong Stadium.

With the win, Wake Forest improves to 2-0-1 on the season, while Indiana drops to 0-1-1.

With the game tied at one in the 72nd minute, Wake Forest grabbed its second lead of the game on a brilliant goal from Austin da Luz to Randolph. Da Luz played a cross from the left side of the 18 and found Randolph making a run down the right side. Randolph's diving header from six yards out beat the keeper on the right side to put the Demon Deacons in front 2-1.

Barlow’s Overtime Goal Lifts UVa Over Washington, 2-1
Virginia senior Neil Barlow (Herndon, Va.) scored the game-winning goal in the 99th minute and the Cavaliers defeated Washington, 2-1, Sunday afternoon in their final game of the PortlandNike Invitational at the Clive Charles Soccer Complex.

Barlow's goal, his first of the season and the fourth of his career, gave the Cavaliers the overtime victory and improved their record to 2-0 on the young season. The senior's shot from the far right wing found the back of the net past Washington goalkeeper Rylan Hawkins.

The goal capped off a Cavalier comeback, as UVa trailed 1-0 in the first half after Husky midfielder Matt Van Houten headed in a goal off of a throw-in by Brent Richards in the sixth minute.

Blue Devils Stop Pioneers in Duke/Nike Classic Finale
The Duke University men's soccer team remained perfect for the 2009 season with a 2-0 victory over Denver in the finale of the Duke/Nike Classic at Koskinen Stadium this afternoon. Junior Cole Grossman paced the Blue Devils to victory with a goal and an assist.

Grossman posted his third goal and second assist on the young season today to keep Duke unbeaten at 3-0-0. Senior midfield Josh Bienenfeld scored his first goal of the year late in the second half to seal the victory.

Senior Ryan McDaniel, junior Christian Ibeagha and Grossman represented the Blue Devils on the Duke/Nike Classic All-Tournament Team. Grossman finished with four points on the weekend, while McDaniel helped anchor the midfield and Ibeagha ran the defense in allowing just one goal. 

NC State Claims Shutout Win Over Columbia, 1-0
The NC State men’s soccer team recorded its third straight win to start the 2009 campaign, as the Pack downed Columbia 1-0 in the Duke Classic on Sunday afternoon. The Wolfpack (3-0) scored the game’s lone goal in the 53rd minute, and claimed its second shutout victory of the weekend.

Neither team got on the scoreboard in the first half of play, but both squads and some close calls.

Senior Ronnie Bouemboue had a couple of chances early in the half. Just 20 seconds into the contest, Bouemboue blasted a shot just wide of the left post, and again 17 minutes in, he tried for the far left post just missing the goal. Senior Alan Sanchez had control of the ball inside Columbia’s penalty box in the final minute, but his shot ended up just to the left.

Hokies claim first in Invitational with 2-1 victory over UW-Milwaukee
After being held scoreless in a double-overtime meeting against the Badgers on Friday night, the Virginia Tech Hokies (1-1-1) offense displayed its attacking power on Sunday at McClimon Complex, scoring the first goal in the 17th minute of play and adding a second point to ensure a 2-1 victory over Wisconsin-Milwaukee (1-2-0). With the win, the Hokies' took first in the Middleton Sports and Fitness Invitational.

Tech finished 1-0-1 in play over the weekend, going undefeated and earning their first win of the season.

The Hokies wasted no time in getting the ball up the field in the first half, as co-captain James Gilson earned the first shot within seconds of kick off. It was newcomer Koen Oost, though, who put the Hokies on the board initially with a shot inside the near post from 20 yards out, good for his first goal of the season. Albert Alwang collected an assist on the play.